Four Minutes
by evilsregal
Summary: "On average, the mind of a person takes between ninety seconds and four minutes to determine whether it is struck by love or not." Outlaw Queen. AU. Three-Shot. Established Semi-Relationship.
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary**__: "On average, the mind of a person takes between ninety seconds and four minutes to determine whether it is struck by love or not." Outlaw Queen. AU. Three-Shot. Established Semi-Relationship.  
_

_**Disclaimer:** Not mine._

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_**Chapter One  
**__Stage One. Lust_

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Her back slams against the wall and she grunts, grimaces at the sharp pain that shoots down her spine but intoxication has it's uses, and that grunt turns in to a moan as his lips descend upon her neck. They're clumsy, ridiculously so, and she feels like a teenager for the first time since she _was_ one. He draws her leg up, grasps her thigh with a strength that will no doubt leave bruises and she hooks her knee around his hip. She whimpers as her head lolls back, thumps the wall he holds her against, and she can feel him smirking against her jaw. He steps closer, presses against her and she sighs as his knee moves between her thighs.

This isn't how she expected to spend her Friday night.

Not that she's complaining, but she'd prepared for Full House re-runs and left-over Fettuccini Carbonara from Wednesday's dinner, unfinished papers to grade that were due on Monday morning... She hadn't prepared for this.

Her eyes close of their own accord as he moves along her throat, drags his teeth and soothes the marks he makes with his tongue and damn it, didn't he know what that was doing to her? He has to, she thinks, because she'd started grinding her hips against his and his thumb has brushed her underwear more times than she can count. He has to be able to feel the damp lace between her legs, or at least suspect.

She's proven correct when his palm slides up her thigh, forces her skirt to bunch around her waist and his fingers tug her underwear aside. He cups her, swears at the heat between her legs and buries his nose in her neck. _'Regina'_, she hears him groan against her skin and her name in his voice has her bucking in to his hand.

She's always been Ms. Mills to him. Just like he's always been Mr. Locksley to her. Never just Regina and never just Robin. But gods, if hearing him call her by her given name isn't a turn on, she doesn't know what is.

This was inevitable though. The two of them half-naked, wet and hot and hard. She can feel him straining in his jeans, can tell he's uncomfortable by the knit in his brow. Her hands fall from his shoulders, slide down his chest and she scratches his skin through the buttons of his shirt. Regina's eyes open and she swallows, breathing heavily as she rocks her hips against his open palm and damn it, it's not enough. Blinking, she smiles softly at Robin as his head lifts and he bumps his nose against hers, tilts his head to the side and nips at her lower lip with his teeth. Willingly parting her lips, granting the permission he seeks, he kisses her harder as her hands reach his belt and she battles with the buckle.

They've been skirting around each other for months now. Heated glances shared across the staffroom table, casual touches that linger perhaps a little too long, innuendo after innuendo after innuendo. There was a sexual tension between them from the moment they were introduced and it was a true miracle they'd held out as long as they had.

Regina blames Tequila.

Inhibitions lost, they'd given in to the lust that controlled them for the better part of a year. And Regina could care less, especially once she tugs his belt undone, forces her hand beneath the waistband of his jeans and it's a tight fit, a very tight fit, but she uses her free hand to unsnap a button and slide the zip down, giving her room to wrap long fingers around the width of his erection and god, he's hot and hard and thick. Robin hisses at her touch, curls his fingers in the flimsy material of her underwear and tugs in retaliation and she bites her lip, holds back the moan that threatens to sigh from her lips.

She wants this to last. Knows that he does too because come tomorrow morning, they'll be Ms. Mills and Mr. Locksley again. It's okay now, because they're drunk as hell and really, it's Jefferson's fault. Drinks after work turned in to a pub crawl that she had, at the time, reluctantly agreed to and she can't remember a time when she'd drunk as much as she had tonight. So they're drunk, and not thinking straight, and this can never happen again because the school board has a strict **_'No Fraternisation'_** policy - otherwise, they'd have fraternised a long time ago.

This has to last, because it can't happen again.

"Bedroom?"

Her head is full of desire, pleasure lingering close, but not close enough and it takes her a moment to hear him. He has to ask her again, stills his ministrations along the inside of her thigh and chuckles. It's a low, dark sound that resonates from deep within his chest and it causes a shiver to run down her spine. She nods mindlessly, unhooks her leg and side-steps, slipping from between his very distracting body and the wall he'd held her up against. Briefly, she marvels at how they'd managed to get from the bar a good half an hour away, to her apartment four floors up and she is suddenly very, very grateful for the weekend camp Henry's school organised two months ago.

Maybe it's fate.

Maybe it's just good timing.

She leads him back, kicking off her heels as she does and he smirks at her as she shrinks in height and it's clumsy and uncoordinated, she almost stumbled over and would have had he not surged forward, grasped her hips with his hands and walked her backwards. She flushes, curses herself for giggling - _( Regina Mills does not giggle! )_ \- and tugs at the lapels of his jacket. He has far to many layers on, in her opinion, and with her dress still bunched around her waist, she finds it entirely unfair that she's half naked whilst he's still fully clothed.

"Off." She gasped, rising on her toes to kiss the corner of his lips as she slides her hands up his chest, over his shoulders and under his jacket. He's slow to comply, far too enamoured with the taste of her lips and the feel of her hips but Regina is impatient, and stubborn, and she wants him as naked as she is, if not more than. Nails dig in to toned flesh, the only barrier between them a thin cotton shirt. He hisses at the painful pleasure she causes, grasps her waist tighter and tighter until they stumble in to Regina's bedroom. "Now," she tries again, finally slipping his jacket off his shoulders and she pulls away, moves to the bed and sits on the edge as he pulls his shirt over his head.

She's seen him shirtless before. An accident, at the time. One that left her writhing alone with her hand between her legs on many a sleepless night. But she's never seen him so close, so completely open to her exploration and she can't help reaching out, sliding her fingertips along his abdomen and up, tracing a long healed scar that runs from his collarbone to the middle of his chest.

His hand grasps her own and she looks up, blinks at the look in his eyes before she smiles, bites her lower lip and stands, turns her back to him and bows her head. Hair cascades in to her eyes, her hand lifts to brush strands aside as Robin steps forward. Regina held her breath, his body heat warming her skin while his arm wrapped around her waist.

It's a change of pace, completely different to the frantic grinding and groaning in the living room just two minutes ago but she'd be lying if she said she didn't love it.

Like it.

Not love it.

She's not allowed to love it.

Her head lolls to the side as his lips fall to her neck, hands moving to her back to slide the zipper of her dress down. A shiver moves across her spine, a hum falls from her lips as she tries not to smile at the scruff on his jaw and her lips part, a breath breezing past her lips as he nudges the straps on her dress down her shoulders, takes her wrists in his hands and pulls them apart, waits for her dress to slide down her body and pool around her feet before he brings them back together again.

Anticipation lies waiting low in her belly, want and need and desire causing her back to arch and the curve of her ass to press against the crotch of his jeans and his grip on her wrists tighten. Turning, Regina grinned at him in amusement as his breath hitched, shook her hands free of his grasp and stepped forward, forced him to turn and once the back of his knees hit the edge of her bed, she pressed the palms of her hands against his chest and pushed him back. Leaving little time for him to recover, her own knees hit the bed and she moved to straddle him, felt his hands move to the small of her back and up to the clasp of her bra.

"Damn it!" he cursed, and Regina breathed laughter against his neck, leaned back and reached behind her to help him unclip her bra - clearly, he hasn't had much practice in the art of undressing a woman... at least, not lately. But then, she hasn't had much practice in undressing a man either. She didn't have time for a relationship, let alone casual sex or one-night-stands. Regina's had to rely on her own hand and the vibrator under her bed for the past year. After all, getting off is incredibly hard to do with a ten year old down the hall and a stack of essays to be graded every night.

Her bra snaps free, and Robin quickly slides the straps down her shoulders, pulls it away from her body and drops it to the floor by his feet. Leaning back, trusting him to hold her steady and not let her fall, Regina bit her lower lip as she searched his gaze for something she really shouldn't be searching for. Most men found interest in her breasts, be them clothed or otherwise, but Robin stared at her face, tracing the contours of her jaw and the scar on her lip with his thumb, one arm wound around her waist to keep her steady.

Her breathing hitched as her lips parted, his thumb resting between them with his fingers splayed across the side of her neck. His touch alone had her thighs clenching, her chest heaving with pebbled nipples and as she exhaled, he leaned forward, pulled her as close as physically possible. Her breasts brushed his chest and she tensed at the pleasure that shot through her veins. She's on fire, totally and completely on fire and every touch, every breath against her skin, every nip of his teeth on her jaw, has her swallowing a cry of pure bliss.

She's rocking against him, his jeans and her underwear the only barrier between them and gods, the friction alone could make her come, is very close to doing so - but she wants more, wants him, wants to feel him _inside_ her, filling her, _fucking her_. It's too much, but at the same time, not enough.

Robin leaned backwards, pulled her with him until he was lying on his back and she was lying on top of him, before he rolled, pinned her beneath him and rose, holding himself up with one arm either side of her head. Squirming, Regina's hips rose to brush against his own and he bucked, she groaned and her back arched. Brown eyes fluttered shut, lips remaining open in a silent gasp and he merely watched her, let her simmer in barely contained pleasure as he watched her writhe.

It's a sight he's pictured for weeks now, months even. And it's a sight he could get used too. She is... stunning. Robin's always thought so. He'd seen the light in her eyes that no one else noticed, the smile she hid behind - and it only drew him in further. It was dangerous waters he treaded, but he wouldn't mind if he sunk.

He stands then, sees her eyes open lazily to watch as he drags her underwear down her legs and she helps... as best she can. Her knees rise, clench together and slowly, he pulls black lace down her thighs, over her knees and they catch on her ankle before he manages to unhook them, and drop them to the floor. She's naked now, completely and totally bare and the sight alone has him groaning. Regina lies back as he shifts his jeans down his hips. They drop the floor, rest on top of Regina's dress and his boxers soon follow.

Robin crawls forward, presses his lips along her thighs, here navel, the valley between her breasts and her neck, until he's hovering above her. Her legs part, cradle his hips and he can't help but think about how perfectly they fit together. Their breath mingles and their noses bump against each other, her arms rise to rest around his neck and her fingers slide in to his hair, whilst one of his own moves to cup her jaw, the other tracing patterns on her waist.

They can still stop this. They can. Nothing has to happen, they can pretend that nothing happened, and they can pass everything so far off as a lapse in judgement. Except he knows that's wrong, he knows that things will change, probably already have, and... "Are you sure?"

His voice is low and deep, his breath brushing her cheek as he mumbles, as he waits for her call and it draws her lower lip between her teeth, before she smiles and nods, lifts her hips and knocks them against his own. He is so hot and so hard, and she is so, so wet - he groans, kisses the corner of her lips sweetly before moving to deepen it, and he rises, falls, buries himself within her and god, it feels - he feels...

Her breath hitches as he fills her, as he stills and waits for her to adjust, as he moans at the feeling of her wrapped around him so snuggly. Regina's stomach muscles clench, her legs rise to wrap around his hips and her heels did in to the small of his back. Her head falls back, her throat deliciously exposed to him and he takes advantage of that, trails soft kisses along the hollow of her throat, nips at her jaw and she moans, feels her brow knit together before she moves her hips, encourages him to move in tandem and god, it's perfect.

It's so perfect.

Why didn't they do this before?

They start slow, taking their time to familiarise themselves each others body and it's both heaven, and hell. Words catch in her throat, her lips parted in silent gasps as her moves, thrusts slow and hard, takes her to the brink before he stills, waits for her to come down and starts again. Her nails dig in to his shoulders, and her back arches continuously until she tugs on his short hair, kisses him hard and whispers _'faster'_ against his lips.

He obliges, picking up the pace until he has her quivering in his arms, shaking and crying out, swearing profusely and god, he's close, but she's closer and he wants her to find her release before he indulges in his own. Sweat glistens on both their brows, pleasure course through their veins until she stiffens, clenches around him tightly and throws her head back. She's still shaking in his arms when he falls, and he's still thrusting in and out slowly, lazily, and she's playing with his hair as they lie in a tangled mess of sweaty limbs.

They fall asleep together, her back to his chest and his arms around her waist, and for now, everything's perfect.

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_**A/N**: I don't usually write smut, mostly because I don't really know how to, in case that wasn't obvious from the slightly rushed ending? Either way. I know it's taking me a while to update LAWKI, but I did say that one would include sporadic updates. This one however, now that I've gotten through the most challenging part of the story, should be updated soon. I hope to have it finished by next week, as there's only three planned chapters. Let me know what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Summary**__**:** "On average, the mind of a person takes between ninety seconds and four minutes to determine whether it is struck by love or not." Outlaw Queen. AU. Three-Shot. Established Semi-Relationship._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Not mine. _

_**Notes**__: Scroll down._

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_**Chapter Two  
**__Stage Two. Attraction_

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It's hard to pretend like nothing happened when it's all they can think about. By some unspoken agreement, they never lingered together too long, they made sure they didn't catch each other's eyes whilst at work, and they were determined not to let what happened over a week ago happen again. But it was hard, and draining.

Waking up that morning had been bliss, with Robin's arms wrapped tight around her waist, her bare back pressed against his naked chest and their legs tangled together. It had rained that night, so the morning sky was grey and it was still drizzling when they woke. They hadn't spoken, nor had they moved. Maybe, because when they did, then it'd be over. And neither one of them wanted that.

But they had to move eventually, and they'd dressed and eaten in silent. They'd touched each other as much as possible, his hand on the small of her back, hers brushing his chest as she passed by. They'd stood in the kitchen, arms wound around each others waist with her nose buried in his neck. It was ridiculous, really. They knew this would happen. They knew that, no matter what they may feel, no matter what they did, it can't continue... and it can't happen again.

But it did. Because until Robin stepped through her front door, what they felt was restricted to her apartment. And they took advantage of that as best they could. It was still early when his hand had travelled up her stomach, under the tank top she'd donned that morning. Her stomach was warm whereas his hand was cold and his touch had caused her nipples to harden and her back to arch. Beyond the small talk they'd made over breakfast, each trying to avoid anything serious and heavy, they said nothing as their hands roamed each others body. Even as Robin had turned her in his arms, even as his hand had fallen under her shorts and between her legs, even as she rocked in to curled fingers - they were quiet. His lips on her neck, her soft moans, it didn't take long before he was sinking in to her deeply, thrusting slowly, his arms holding her up as she came with a muffled cry and he followed soon after.

They'd stayed like that for most of the morning, until he had to leave to retrieve his son, and he'd done so with a small smile and a lingering kiss. And that was it. They'd given in, and now they had to pay the price.

A week had passed, with Robin watching Regina when he thought she wasn't looking, and Regina doing the same to Robin. Averted gazes and bitten lips, both trying desperately to act as if they didn't know every inch of the others body, every mark and every freckle.

But Robin caves during lunch. The need to touch her again is just too strong and he'd found himself sitting beside her. Regina tensed, heart in her throat and back rigid as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, eyebrow raised as she rolled the wrap she'd brought for lunch. "What are you doing?" she muttered under her breath, taking great care not to look at him, nor react to his hand as it moved to rest on her thigh under the table. They were relatively alone, save for the substitute sitting the corner with her nose buried in a book. She could care less about whatever sordid affair the school's staff partakes in - _'Sordid affair?'_ she thinks with a crease in her brow. There's nothing sordid about what they'd done and it was hardly an affair... They're both single, after all and, why is she thinking about this as if there's anything to think about?

"I'm sorry," he says, and she knows he's not because his hand stays still on her thigh, and a part of her isn't either - but the bigger part, the more rational part, knows that if Gold walks through that door and sees them as close as they are, everything they've tried so hard to hide will be out in the open and... she can't afford to look for another job.

Briefly, she turns her head to look at him directly, an attempt at convincing him to move away dying on her lips as she sees the way he looks at her. Her breath hitches in her throat and she swallows, an action that draws his attention from her eyes to her throat and his thumb begins to move in circles over her knee. The look alone makes her feel weak in the knees and his touch has her pressing her legs together and damn it, they said this wouldn't happen again.

But God, he is undeniably attractive and her heart splutters in her chest as he smiles at her, as his gaze roams her jaw and her cheek, her lips to her eyes and she can tell that he is trying very, very hard not to kiss her right now. Maybe it should concern her that she can read him so easily but later, when he's pressing her up against the wall beside his apartment door and littering her neck with kisses that'll bruise come morning, she forgets how wrong it is and concentrates on how good his hands in her hair feels.

When they're lying together in his bed, spent and half-asleep, he whispers sweet nothings in her ear. He talks about how beautiful he thinks she is, and how he can't stop thinking about her, and she smiles softly, turns her nose in to the pillow to hide the blush only he seems capable of causing. And for the second time, they fall asleep in each others arms.

They can't stop. No matter how hard they try, they can't stop. He touches her at every opportunity, and she does the same to him. Gentle brushes of their hands or brief kisses to the cheek in the mornings. She is an addiction to him, and he can't get enough. He's never been attracted to someone like he is to her. He is drawn to her like a moth to a flame, utterly fascinated with her entire being and he'd like nothing more than to embrace her in the open, to kiss her like he wants to kiss her in the mornings - but he restrains himself, does as she asks because while he may be enamoured with the very thought of the two of them together, he knows she isn't. At least, not yet.

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_**Notes:** So I know this chapter is short, and I apologise for that. This chapter/stage is basically just a filler for the next and last one, which I will tease to you is titled 'Attachment', and I will make sure that that is quite long to make up for the shortness of this one. I'd just like to reply to a couple of reviews:_

_**RedBlackandLights:** I didn't really plan on adding more smut to this. The smut was supposed to just be limited to the first chapter but I did do my best to add small snippets and mentions of it. I hope it was enough! : )_

_**MissPoisonous:** Thank you so much! I wasn't sure whether to go with it as an AU or in a Canonological ( totally not a word ) sense, but it seems I write AU's better so, I'm glad you liked it as such._

_The next chapter will be longer guys, that I will promise you. And I will tell you to prepare for even more fluff, but also angst and drama, because the next chapter will be the last and naturally, all the shit has to hit the fan._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Summary**: "On average, the mind of a person takes between ninety seconds and four minutes to determine whether it is struck by love or not." Outlaw Queen. AU. Three-Shot. Established Semi-Relationship._

_**Disclaimer**: Not mine. _

_**Notes**: Scroll down._

_**P.S**: Oh look... Smut... Kind of. Not really._

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_**Chapter Three**_  
_Stage Three. Attachment_

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It starts with a weekend. They'd spent the night with each other before, but neither of them have ever had an entire weekend kid-free until Henry asked to stay at Emma's for her birthday and Roland went to visit his grandparents with Marian. Friday night was expected. After Regina dropped her son off, she'd made her way to Robin's, as per planned during lunch, and it was only as an after thought that she decided to stop for groceries.

They weren't dating, exactly.

But just because they weren't dating, that doesn't mean she can't cook dinner.

It doesn't occur to her until she's placing the neapolitan ice-cream in her trolley, _( because Robin always has a tub in his freezer but ran out on Monday and didn't get a chance to replace it )_, that she knows a lot more about him than _'just friends'_ should... a lot more than _'more than friends'_ too. It has her pausing in the middle of the frozen foods isle with a crease in her brow as she stares down at the food she'd collected.

Two pounds of chuck roast steak, onions and carrots and celery, beef stock and tomato paste, a bottle of Guinness Stout Beer - of which Regina's not fond of but she knows Robin prefers it over red wine when it comes to stew. It's not what she'd usually make but he'd regaled her with stories of his childhood and how he hadn't had a good, hearty meal like that since he'd last seen his mother a good ten months or so ago.

A jar of Nutella, heavy cream, three blocks of milk chocolate and hazelnuts, a punnet of strawberries and a can of whipped cream, because desserts are her forte and truffles are easy to make. Robin loves them. She'd made some to bring to school for Mary Margaret's birthday last month _( amongst a tray of apple turnovers and a cob loaf )_ and he'd all but inhaled them all, had taken a few to give to Roland but, at the time, she'd doubted they'd even made it to his car.

She knows he's not a fan of coffee, but he keeps a jar of Nescafé Gold Crema just for her, so she picked up a box of Earl Grey and English Breakfast because he'd had to skip his tea that morning and she thought it'd make him laugh - as if he doesn't already have a shelf full of the stuff. There's a packet of M&amp;M's, a packet of microwave popcorn and a can of Pringles and maybe it's a lot of food for just the two of them but Robin devours chocolate like it's the air he breathes and Regina... Regina's not much better.

There's a bag of rental movies in her car but they'll probably only get through one or two of them before he finds the blindfold she'd hidden in one of the cases and - why is she doing all of this? They're not dating. They're not... but this sounds an awful lot like a date.

It doesn't matter.

Not yet, at least.

Because so far they've been careful. Their rendezvous have been restricted to sex, and sex only, because they can't afford anything more. Regina knows that Jefferson suspects something, and if the not-so-subtle smiles that Mary Margaret has been throwing their way is anything to go by, she knows too. It's two people too many and it scares her, it really does. The rules are very clear and she loves her job, she loves her kids - Regina _and_ Robin could be let go if they're discovered... Sometimes she questions herself, and her choices, and she questions him. Is it worth it? Are _they_ worth it?

Yes.

No.

Maybe?

It's too much to think about whilst navigating the streets of D.C so she pushes it away, locks the doubt and apprehension that stirs within her heart in a box and forces herself to forget about it... for now.

He greets her in the parking lot under his apartment complex as she pulls up, grins at her from where he leans back against the wall with his hands stuffed in his pockets and he's changed clothes since school not two hours earlier. He opens her door and rests his hand on the small of her back and it's intimate and comfortable and that box threatens to break open when he spies the bags in the back of her car, and he laughs.

"What's all this?"

He steps around her then, opens the passenger door and grabs the first bag he sees. She answers him as he roots through the food she'd brought, "I thought I'd make dinner..." and he's already tearing open the Pringles by the time she closes her own door and swings her bag on to her shoulder. "Robin!" she scolds, snatches at the snack and drops it back in the bag, and rolls her eyes as he stuffs what few he'd managed to pilfer in to his mouth.

It's dangerously domestic, and that's another thought she throws in the box.

He just laughs at her, swoops in and presses a brief kiss to her lips, startling her in the process whilst somehow snaking the bags she'd begun to gather and transferring them in to his own hands, rather than hers. He pulls away, and she licks her lips, crinkling her nose at the few crumbs he'd left there.

It's not until they're half-way up the stairs that she notices that they're holding hands, and the realisation has her grip in his tightening.

She's quiet as he opens the door, motions for her to go ahead of him and she offers a small smile in return but he can tell she's lost in thought as she wanders straight through the living room to the kitchen. He follows, stands on the other side of the counter that divides them and starts to unload the two bags he'd carried whilst she unpacks the other. His gaze roams over every item he finds but it's not until the beef is in his hands and he finds the Guinness that he looks up, and he grins.

"Stew?"

Regina nods, smiling up at him as she turns and opens his freezer, holds up the ice-cream so he can see what she'd bought him. "Mhmmm," she hums. Robin is quick and light on his feet, so she doesn't hear him until he's winding his arms around her waist, kissing her neck gently and oh, yeah, definitely worth it. She turns in his arms, rests the palms of her hands on his hips and tilts her head back to kiss him properly. They don't make it far, not really. They're both hungry and they have all night to be together but they don't move for a few minutes, merely stand in each others arms before she disentangles herself and moves to the counter.

They cook together. Robin puts on some music and chops the beef while she does the vegetables. They talk quietly. Nothing serious or heavy, it's lighthearted and neither of them can stop smiling. She makes him trade places with her, because he was going to just dump the meat in the pot and she'd whacked the back of his hand with a wooden spoon. "No," she'd scolded, and he'd smirked in amusement, replied with a cheeky _'Yes, Mother'_ before moving over to the potatoes.

He watches as she tears two squares from the paper towel by the sink, watches as she picks up each cube of meat and dries them before covering them in flour and dropping them in the pot. He's tried to make stew before, but it's never been like his mother's and now he knows why. Is this a universally known trick to cooking beef or is it a coincidence that they both do it the same way?

This is the first time he's had the chance to watch her cook. He knows she can, has tasted the magic she makes for himself, but watching her make it is an entirely different affair. At school, she is methodical, organised. Everything has it's place. But when she teaches, she teaches through instinct. Regina doesn't have a lesson plan, not a solid and detailed one at least. She knows what she plans to teach that day, but she doesn't know how she'll teach it until the first bell rings. Regina memorises the textbooks she has to teach from, which makes teaching easier - for her. Robin has to read straight from the book, or at least glance at the passage before class starts. Regina cooks like she teaches. No doubt, she'd memorised the recipe like she memorises a book, but once she knew what she was doing, everything else is instinct.

She doesn't use measuring cups, or spoons. She adds each ingredient when she sees fit and stirs the pot when she feels it needs to be stirred. Not once does she ask for the time, nor does she look at the clock, and it surprises him that he's _not_ surprised.

He knows her so well now.

He grins as he watches her steal a piece of carrot and she narrows her eyes at him, pours a rather generous helping of the beer she'd bought just for him and he knows she would've preferred to use the wine - it makes him love her all the more for choosing not to...

Love?

Robin shook his head and moved behind her, stood awfully close as he tried not to think of the dreaded L-word and he noticed her stiffen, noticed her hold her breath and it's a reaction he's drawn from her for a while now, even before they'd started... whatever this is. Her head tilts to the side slightly and she watches as he reaches above her, opens the cabinet and pulls out two wine glasses but he is ridiculously close and he affects her in ways she didn't know she could be affected. But he's gone a few seconds later. When she turns to look over her shoulder, she finds him pulling a bottle of Pinot Noir from his refrigerator and she smiles a small smile, turns back to the stew in time to add the stock as he pours her a glass.

Things after that are as per usual. He watches her, because that seems to be his favoured past time and she tries to hide the blush she knows he can see. How he does that to her is a mystery in it's own right, but she doesn't mind... not really. With the stew prepped and cooking, she starts on the desert and has a rather difficult time stopping Robin from eating all the chocolate. Once she's filled a zip lock bag with the Nutella - _( because Robin doesn't have a piping bag, which is what she would've used )_ \- Robin dips his finger in to the jar and she crinkles her nose, bites back _'wash your hands'_ as she makes the centres of her truffles. He licks his finger clean, dives back in and she should've known. After all, Robin's a double dipper. But he holds his hand out to her instead and Regina snorts, she didn't mean to but really, what else was she supposed to do? He urges her to try it, and she bites her lip as she glances from his finger to him and back, before rolling her eyes and opening her mouth.

His own runs dry as her lips close around his finger and he drags it back, a touch of red lipstick lingering around his knuckle and he swallows, she smirks, he shifts on the stool he'd sat on, suddenly uncomfortable._ 'It's his own fault,'_ she thinks as she turns to place the tray of Nutella centres in the freezer before pulling out a saucepan to heat the cream in. "Are you okay?" She dares to tease him, and she's glad all he can see is her back because she is grinning like the damn Cheshire Cat as he hums behind her.

They both fall silent for a while after that, the music still playing and he is content with watching her whilst she is content with letting him, until...

"This is nice."

And she hesitates, blinks, nods.

"It is."

It really, really is.

It doesn't take her long to finish the truffles before they're back in the freezer for after dinner, and Robin's dipping strawberries in the left over chocolate. Holding one up to her lips as she wipes down the bench, Regina laughed, shook her head and licked her lips, muttering "This is a cliché," before biting half, watching as Robin popped the other in to his own mouth. He took her hand, lead her towards the sofa where he'd already placed the bowls of popcorn and M&amp;M's, their glasses of wine and two extra glasses of water. The movies sit on the table in a stack, and Regina smirks to herself as she thinks about the blindfold she'd hidden inside The Hobbit. Because again, she knows Robin. He's a fantasy buff and he has every movie save for the latest. He'll want to watch that tonight, but he won't want to watch it first. Because he knows that she'll fall asleep sometime around the half-way mark, so he'll wait until after they've eaten before he cracks open the case.

She won't fall asleep this time.

In fact, she doubts he'll even put the disk in the player.

**XxX**

They get through Guardians of the Galaxy, with Regina curled up against Robin's side, and the title menu for The Wizard of Oz is playing on repeat when Regina extracts herself from Robin's hold, dances out of his reach with a laugh and tosses the pillow she'd been hugging to her chest against his own. The stew is ready, and they eat it in the living room, sitting on the floor in front of the table with all the snacks pushed to the side, a plate of bread in between them, and it's good, Regina's quite proud of herself, and Robin says "Mum'll love you". Regina stills with her hand raised, spoon hovering over her bowl because oh.

This is bad.

This is very, very bad.

Because Regina actually wants to meet her, and that wasn't part of the plan.

She knew, they both knew, that there were _feelings_ shared between them. Casual sex was supposed to repress those _feelings_, but now he's talking about his mother meeting her and maybe things are a lot more serious between them than she thought.

That's bad.

Even though it feels so good.

They finish their dinner, with both of them ignoring Regina's hesitation and Dorothy and Co have only just met The Cowardly Lion when Regina brings out the truffles. Robin pulls her in to a searing kiss before sneaking the tray right out of her hands. Regina rolls her eyes, curls up by his side again and pops a truffle in her mouth.

They're both comfortable and content by the time the movie finishes. Most of the food is gone. There's left over stew for Robin to package and put away for the following week and she'd made extra truffles to put in the back of his refrigerator - because as expected, all the ones she'd brought out are gone. Most of the snacks have been eaten and the rest they can put away anyway, but the bowl of M&amp;M's stay on the table as Robin reaches for the movie Regina's been waiting for.

She sits up, bites her lip and wrings her hands slightly in her lap as she scoots away from him an inch or two, turns to bring one knee up to her chest before her arms wind around it and she watches with a glint in her eye as he pops open the case. This is bold, even for her. Sex with Robin is intense enough as it is and neither one of them have expressed interest _( until now )_ in spicing it up.

Regina watches in silence as Robin stiffens, lifts the blindfold by the elastic string and she leans forward, rests her chin on her knee as he turns to her with both eyebrows raised high. "Regina?" She ducks her head, gnaws on her lower lip before clearing her throat and looking up, flicking strands of hair out of her eyes. "I was thinking we could - try something different?"

"Is this for you, or for me?"

He asks with a swing of his finger, the blindfold dangling as he reaches out with his other hand to link with hers and Regina shrugs, grins at him and leans a little closer. "Does it matter?" And no, no it doesn't. Robin agrees. The movie and it's case lie forgotten on the table as he leans forward, kisses her softly and hovers his lips over hers. "I think Middle Earth can wait until tomorrow, hmm?"

She nods, stands when he does and brushes past him, takes the blindfold from his hand and her glass of wine from the table before making her way down the hall to his bedroom. Robin watches, an odd fluttering in his chest that has been there for weeks now but tonight, tonight it seems stronger. He makes to follow her, before he pauses, turns, and grabs the bowl of M&amp;M's. With a grin, he switched off the TV and hurries down the hall, where he can hear clothing dropping to the floor.

He finds Regina sitting on the edge of his bed, naked save for the black lace underwear. The same black lace that she'd worn that first night oh-so-long ago. She is stunning. Absolutely breathtaking, and he knew that before, he knew that the moment he first saw her. Her gaze falls to the chocolate he'd brought with him and she smirks, raises dark, alluring eyes and he swallows. "Hungry?" Robin nods, unable to speak as she leans back on her hands and draws her feet up to the bed, crawls backward slowly as he moves forward. "Very," he manages before the M&amp;M's are dropped hazardously on to the bed, his own moving to the waistband of his jeans. Robin slips his thumbs between his hipbones and the denim, forces his pants down his legs and lets them drop to the floor beside her own. His shirt is tugged over his head before his knees his the bed and he crawls up and over her. Regina's legs press together, heat already pooling low in her gut as she squirms, and Robin smiles above her.

His head dips, bows to press his lips against hers and she rises off the bed, kisses him back fervently until he pulls away, reaches up to tug the blindfold down and she is shrouded in darkness. She can't see but that only enhances her ability to feel. And she feels a lot. She feels his fingers on her waist, his knee between her legs, his lips on her neck. A sound breaks from her lips, strangled and incoherent and her legs part, her hips lift off the bed and her breasts rise and fall with heavy pants. A crease forms in her brow as she feels his weight lift off her, feels the bed dip near the edge and she reaches up to remove the blindfold, thinks that maybe this wasn't a good idea, but Robin's hand darts out, his fingers wrap around her wrists and Regina startles. "Robin?"

"Leave it on... trust me."

She does.

She shouldn't.

But she does.

Regina settles back down, her head falls to the pillow and it disrupts the darkness for less than a second before she crinkles her nose and it moves back in to place. She sighs, but then stiffens when she feels Robin straddle her knees and place something small on her stomach. "Robin? What're you -"

He shushes her, places another a few centimetres apart from the first and starts to trail them down her stomach in a line between her ribs. He drops one in her navel, and laughter breathes from her lips when she realises that they're M&amp;M's. Robin's hand rises and falls on to her chest, fingers splayed over her chest. "Don't move."

Regina's lips thin as she tries not to laugh, nodding blindly until he's satisfied, and he continues to move down her body, placing M&amp;M's all the way down until he reaches her underwear. His fingers delve under the fabric, hooking slightly and tugging down. She can't move, can't lift her hips to help him but he seems to manage on his own. Robin crawls back up her legs, presses his palms in to the mattress on either side of her before bowing his head and pressing his lips to her stomach, tongue flicking out and over the first little chocolate.

**XxX**

They sleep in on Saturday morning. Granted, they didn't actually fall asleep until just after midnight and even then, she'd woken up at three with his hand nestled between her legs and his cock resting against the small of her back. So breakfast at ten-thirty was a given.

Regina woke to an empty bed. She's not a morning person, so it took her a good ten minutes to actually drag herself out, throw on a pair of Robin's shorts and one of his shirts, and make her way back in to the kitchen. Robin stood with his bare back to her, turning over what looked like an omelette and he knows her well, because beside his tea is a full cup of coffee. She could smell it from the hallway.

Regina drifted in behind him, slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her palms against his chest. She kissed his shoulder as he smiled, muttered _'Good morning'_ and she merely hummed, stepping away and around the counter to slip in to the stool he'd commandeered the night before. She's still half-asleep, which is something he smiles at and he represses a laugh as she drags her coffee towards her and closes her eyes with a yawn. "Hungry?" He asks, and he does laugh this time when, again, all she does is hum. Her hair is dishevelled, slightly frizzy, and he refrains from calling her adorable - because he knows she'll just glare at him and deny it, might even ignore him, she's done it before.

It's quiet now. But it's comfortable. He dishes out the breakfast he'd made them whilst she inhales her coffee. They eat, holding hands and linking fingers at some point and it's nice, it's really really nice. Regina should make her excuses, should dress and leave before she overstays her welcome - but she doesn't want to. She's content.

And happy.

It's a happiness that stays. It doesn't fizzle out, it's not snatched away. Eventually, she finds herself sharing her bed with him, and Henry even asks Robin for help with his homework. On the nights he has Roland, he stays at his apartment, but one night, Roland comes with him. She cooks them dinner, and they play Monopoly for an hour, until Roland falls asleep on her shoulder with his mouth wide open, and she helps tuck him in at night.

She meets Marian too. It's a little awkward, and a little tense, but Regina doesn't hate her, she doesn't feel threatened, even though Robin's ex-wife is gorgeous, and they have a history that she can't compete with. They get along, and that's enough.

They're both happy.

It's almost perfect.

But they start to slip. They get careless. Robin kisses her cheek in the morning one day, and it's just lucky that no one else was there except for Mary Margaret. But Mary Margaret has never been very good at keeping secrets, and Regina pales when Belle smiles at her in the hall one day, and tells her that _'she's happy Regina's happy,'_ and this is not good. Belle knowing is one-step closer to Gold knowing. They are married, after all. She's tense and uncomfortable for weeks after that, with every knowing smile tossed her way. Hell, even some of the students have been looking at her, then at Robin, and giggling with their friends.

She over heard one Senior talking about Robin being a _'lucky son of a bitch'_, and she'd flushed red almost immediately. Something he only found amusing. Something she found horrifying.

"Maybe we should stop," she says softly one day, her gaze firmly planted on her cooling cup of camomile tea. It's not her favourite drink, but it has a calming effect on her, and it was either that, or a bottle of red.

Robin looked up at her, pausing mid-way through wiping down the bench, but she was too afraid too look up, and gauge his reaction. This was her thing. It was a built-in mechanism. Run when things get tough, or grin and bear it. And she didn't think she could pretend anymore. It was just too hard now.

"Stop?"

She nodded.

"Yeah."

He's silent for a moment, and she assumes he's staring at her. He his. His heart is aching, and he's not sure what to say, or do, but eventually, he shrugs and nods, choking out "Okay," softly, bowing his head to stare at the counter top. Regina's snaps up, and she stares at him bewildered, hurt in her eyes. "Okay?"

He sighed.

"I love you, Regina." Her breath hitched. "I didn't want to tell you like this. I wanted to make it special. But... I love you. And if you want to stop, than okay. But I hope you know, it won't change anything. It just means I can't touch you, or hold you, and that - the mere thought hurts. I want to be with you. Completely."

But they can't.

No matter how much they want too.

So they stop.

Regina lies awake at night, cold and empty and he does the exact same thing from the other side of the city. They pass each other in the halls but Regina's head stays bowed and she doesn't look up until she's sure, absolutely sure, that he's gone. There's a tension between them, one everyone seems to pick up on and it breaks her heart when Henry asks if Robin's coming over tonight. _'No,'_ she says firmly, and then closes her eyes when he leans back as if scolded, nods his head and slides from the counter, hiding himself in his room for the rest of the night.

It hurts.

A lot more than she thought it would and that... that's not fair.

It wasn't supposed to be this. It was supposed to be something fun and light-hearted, something between friends that took the edge off. It wasn't supposed to be serious, it wasn't supposed to mean anything. But it does, it did, and she curls in on herself at night with an aching heart. She can't look at him at work, won't talk to him, can't even bare to stand in the same room longer than absolutely necessary and it takes it's toll.

She's called in to Gold's office just a few weeks later.

She's packing her bags the next day.

* * *

_**Notes**: So... That's it. That's the end. I know it took a while to get to but, I tried my best to get through it. I, personally, think this chapter was a little... boring. But, oh well. Anyway, thank you all for being so patient and well, that's it, I guess. Nothing much more to say except... ahahahahaha did you seriously expect me to end it there? I'm not THAT cruel. Originally, this was supposed to be a three-part fic but, this was getting a bit long and drawn out so... there will be an epilogue. Hopefully, I can resolve the ending of this chapter to satisfy you all next chapter. Xoxo._


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